William C. Fredericks


HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Three-time Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, Columbia University Law School
  • Columbia University International Fellow
  • Awarded Columbia University Law School’s Beck Prize (property law); Toppan Prize (advanced constitutional law); Greenbaum Prize (written advocacy); and Dewey Prize (best oral argument in the final round of The Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Honor competition)
  • Law clerk for the Hon. Robert S. Gawthrop III (E.D. Pa.)
  • Spent seven years practicing securities and complex commercial litigation at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York before moving to the plaintiffs’ side of the bar in 1996
  • Recognized in the 2013-21 editions of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Lawyers” in the field of commercial litigation
  • Recognized in the 2013-20 editions of New York’s “Super Lawyers” in the field of securities litigation
  • Named to the inaugural 2020 LawDragon 500 Lead Plaintiff Lawyer list  and again in 2021
  • Frequent panelist on securities litigation programs sponsored by various organizations, including the Practising Law Institute (PLI) and the American Law Institute/American Bar Association (ALI/ABA)
  • Publications include “Bringing a Claim for Securities Fraud: Pre-Filing Investigation to Complaint” (PLI 2012) and ‘“Bet-the-Company’ Litigation: Settlement” (PLI 2011)
  • Co-authored several amicus briefs in various Supreme Court cases involving securities issues (including Halliburton, Amgen, CALPERS v. ANZ Securities, and Cyan)
  • Played a major role in litigating claims relating to mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) arising out of the financial crisis

BIO:

Mr. Fredericks is a partner in the Firm’s New York office. In addition to serving as lead counsel on behalf of investors in several pending securities fraud actions (including cases against Uber, Evoqua Water Technologies and EndoChoice Holdings), Mr. Fredericks also represents investors in the pending FX antitrust litigation brought against over a dozen leading banks based on their involvement in manipulating foreign exchange (“FX”) rates and spreads, and in pending proceedings relating to data security breaches at FaceBook, Inc.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES:

  • In re Wachovia Preferred Securities and Bond/Notes Litig., No. 09-cv-6351 (S.D.N.Y.)
    (total settlements of $627 million)
  • In re Rite Aid Securities Litig., No. 99-cv-1349 (E.D. Pa.) (total settlements of $323 million)
  • In re Sears Roebuck & Co. Sec. Litig., No. 02-cv-07527 (N.D. Ill.) ($215 million settlement)
  • In re State Street ERISA Litig., No. 07-cv-8488 (S.D.N.Y.) (one of the largest ERISA class settlements to date)
  • Irvine v. Imclone Systems, Inc., No. 02-cv-0109 (S.D.N.Y.) ($75 million settlement)